Man arrested after rabbi attacked on way to synagogue in Forest Hills
FOREST HILLS, Queens (WABC) -- A 32-year-old man was arrested after a rabbi was attacked on Tuesday afternoon in Queens.
Police say the victim was punched in his chest and face at Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue by a man who also hurled antisemitic comments.
Rabbi David Shushan, who was on the way to synagogue at the time, was not injured and was able to take a picture of the suspect, who was quickly arrested at a nearby subway station.
The 30-year-old rabbi, who is also a father of three, said Wednesday that he is thankful that his injuries weren't more serious following the violent, hate-filled attack.
He said the assault started with a vile slur followed by a punch to the chest.
"I just said, it cannot happen like this, I must fight back and I just give him back," Shushan said. "And I found myself into a fight I never, you know, I'm not a fighter. I'm a rabbi here. And I found myself rolling in the floor in the snow, getting punched into the face."
After his arrest, police say the suspect, Eric Zafra-Grosso, acted erratically while in custody and was held for a psych evaluation.
Zafra-Grosso was arraigned Tuesday night on charges of assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and assault.
"We need to promote light and I talked of goodness and kindness," Shushan said. "So, the darkness will be pushed away automatically."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement that said in part, "I'm horrified by the antisemitic assault on a rabbi in Forest Hills. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, New Yorkers were confronted with a painful truth: antisemitism is not a thing of the past. It is a present danger that demands action from all of us."
Elected officials in Queens also issued a joint statement condemning the attack:
"The rise in antisemitic incidents across our city and country is deeply concerning, and this attack - occurring on Holocaust Remembrance Day - underscores the urgent responsibility we all share to confront hate before it escalates into violence."
Prosecutors requested $40,000 bail but the judge released the suspect on supervised release.
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